Apologize if this is a stupid question, but how do tiebreakers work with the new playoff format? Right now Tampa, Baltimore and Oakland are tied for wildcard spots and Detroit is only a game out. What happens if 2 or more teams are tied for the last playoff spot? Do they hold a play-in game to get into the wildcard play-in game? This is from an article on MLB.com.

Division titles and Wild Card berths will now all be decided by a 163rd game play-in if necessary. In the past, if two teams were tied for a division lead after 162 games and the other had already clinched the Wild Card, the division winner would be determined by head-to-head records.

This year, any play-in games will be staged the day after the regular season ends.

That makes it sound like there will indeed be extra play-in games in the result of a tie, right? Imagine Detroit vs. Oakland one-game playoff, winner vs. Baltimore one game playoff, winner vs. Tampa in wildcard one game playoff, and THEN the real postseason starts. Or what if Chicago and Detroit tie for the division too? Then they'd have a playoff to determine the division winner and the loser would move into a play-in game? There is potential for some really ridiculous scenarios.

BronXBombers51 wrote:Apologize if this is a stupid question, but how do tiebreakers work with the new playoff format? Right now Tampa, Baltimore and Oakland are tied for wildcard spots and Detroit is only a game out. What happens if 2 or more teams are tied for the last playoff spot? Do they hold a play-in game to get into the wildcard play-in game? This is from an article on MLB.com.

Division titles and Wild Card berths will now all be decided by a 163rd game play-in if necessary. In the past, if two teams were tied for a division lead after 162 games and the other had already clinched the Wild Card, the division winner would be determined by head-to-head records.

This year, any play-in games will be staged the day after the regular season ends.

That makes it sound like there will indeed be extra play-in games in the result of a tie, right? Imagine Detroit vs. Oakland one-game playoff, winner vs. Baltimore one game playoff, winner vs. Tampa in wildcard one game playoff, and THEN the real postseason starts. Or what if Chicago and Detroit tie for the division too? Then they'd have a playoff to determine the division winner and the loser would move into a play-in game? There is potential for some really ridiculous scenarios.